Time for MLB to move into the 21st century

The baseball playoffs have been dramatic and a lot of fun, and I don’t say this just because the Yankees made it to the World Series (thanks to one of the more impressive at-bats you’ll ever see, courtesy of Juan Soto). But the game could still be better. Despite the pitch clock, the pace of play is still brutal. All mound visits should be banned, and no batter timeouts should be allowed.

Also, MLB desperately needs laser strike-zones. Bad calls might be tolerable during the regular season because they tend to even out during 162 games. But in the post-season, when everything can hinge on one at-bat, when one bad ball or strike call can change everything, and when masterly pitchers and batters are operating with minute precision for the highest stakes, you truly realize how crazy it is to rely on flawed human judgment to make balls-and-strikes calls, especially when we can all see instantly at home when umpires have blown it.

There’s no excuse for MLB not moving into the 21st century on this one, the sooner the better.